Basecamp for Men E79: Meditation as a Portal

E79: Meditation as a Portal with Special Guest                Richard Haight

 

E79 Introduction-

Meditation is a topic that we have covered here on Basecamp for Men a number of times. It is not a coincidence that most of my guests have not only a familiarity with meditation but most have active practices spanning many decades and many different types of meditation.

We have done episodes with Paul Dunion and Ziad Masri. We have done episodes with Janell Hartman and Howard Ferguson. We’ve done them with Sally Kempton and Sophie Maclean. And we have recently done EPs with Champ Parinya and Lisa Rezac, all active meditators. I bet if I asked all my guests, most would say they have some sort of meditation practice. And it makes sense, doesn’t it?

If meditation speeds up evolution then a show about men’s personal development really should have a lot of meditators on the guest list.

My take on meditation is that it is one of the most powerful tools you can use for yourself and your development. What are the benefits of a meditation practice? The answer: comprehensive. In other words, it helps with everything.

And there is a touch of  magic and mysticism in a meditation practice. Something transcendent. And who doesn’t love these qualities? You are, in a very real sense, communicating with the Divine. You may not start with that as your notion but over time, it hits your awareness as this jaw-dropping discovery.

Your awareness starts to expand. Ego starts to dissolve and, with it, all its unnecessary suffering. Patterns that seemed on the edge of your awareness suddenly come into full, clear view. Subtle energies that eluded you suddenly become available to you.

I like this quote by the great Ken Wilber. He says “Meditation speeds up evolution. It accelerates the remembering and the re-discovery of the Spirit that you eternally are. Meditation quickens the rate that acorns grow into oaks, that humans grow into God.”

My guest today is a life-long student and teacher of meditation and meditation techniques. Let’s go have a chat with him.

Richard Haight Bio-

Richard L. Haight is the founder of the Total Embodiment Method (TEM), which is an awareness training system designed to integrate meditation into one’s daily life. Richard is the author of five bestselling titles, most notably The Warrior’s Meditation, Unshakable Awareness, and The Unbound Soul. He is a considered one of world’s foremost experts in the traditional Japanese martial arts.

Through his books, his meditation, and martial arts seminars, Richard  seeks to ignite a worldwide movement for personal transformation that is free of all constraints and open to anyone of any level.

E79: Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our time with Richard. I have found that, like Richard, meditation has greatly improved my writing. There is an allowing in writing, a giving yourself over to the flow of words that meditation helps prepare you for.

I also like what he said about how training ourselves in open awareness or what the Buddhists call “Big Mind” is often times easier for beginners. There is something interesting to this. If meditation walks you along a path of Light with fellow mystics and seers, then this vast, expansive exploration will certainly hold treasures for those brave enough to plunge into the deep end of the ocean, so to speak.

I sometimes wonder, as I prepare to do a meditation, how many millions of other Souls am I joining in this extraordinary experiment in energy, frequency, and vibration. Who might I meet next along these ancient roads? I thank you my listeners and I wish you Godspeed.

Basecamp for Men E78: The Path with Heart

E78: The Path with Heart with Special Guest Scott Wyman

 

E78 Introduction-

I would like to start by thanking a dear friend of mine, Roger Songster. Roger, your text message really helped strengthen me this week so thank you for that.  You’re a true friend.

I have found that when you follow your Hero’s Journey and commit to living your deepest truth, it doesn’t always come as a celebration to those that are closest to you. This is part of what makes it heroic. You leave what is familiar. This inevitably takes us away, sometime far away, from the familiar faces and viewpoints and identities of where we have come from and where we have been.

I didn’t think when we started Basecamp for Men that it would be such an important  chapter in my life. I have learned just as much as you have about this emerging tribe we are calling WE THE PEOPLE.

Of all the things I have tried and done, I think writing and hosting this podcast has been my favorite endeavor. I never thought it would bring me this much satisfaction. I just love it! It feels like a culmination of all my life experiences and all the things I have read and researched all rolled into one expression. That and I get to interview incredibly wise and kind-hearted people like my guest today.

Scott Wyman Bio-

Scott Wyman has been a passionate student of the spiritual path for over 40 years. A psychotherapist for over 30 years he as come to blend western psychological insights with ancient teachings that have stood the test of time, using practices that go directly to the source of our suffering, connecting the highest truth of our Soul with the darkest aspects of our shadow.

E78 Final Thoughts-

A couple of final things. If all this talk of meditation as a tool for your own growth and development has piqued your interest and you like Scott as much as I do, go sign up for his upcoming 3-day online meditation retreat on March 5-7that www.scottwyman.comThis will surely be a great retreat for beginners and advanced students alike. Let Scott know you heard him here on the show.

And Scott recommended a beloved meditation teacher and author from Vietnam named Thich Nat Hahn.  His book Being Peace is considered an absolute classic in most spirituality circles.  I have a number of his books in my library and they all contain great wisdom.

 

 

Basecamp for Men E77: Why the World Will ALWAYS Need Men

E77: Why the World Will ALWAYS Need Men

with Special Guest Nicky Billou

 

E77 Introduction-

I believe that we still need masculine men. Men who know who they are, who are comfortable in their own skin. I believe we will always need the rock solid strength that men bring to the world.

Look, not everyone is going to be transgender or androgynous, despite what the MSM or pop culture is telling us. I do not believe it is best for our nation to have a world full of overly sensitive, politically correct soy boys. Do you?

The world has always and will always need men. After all, who will defend our nation? Who will protect our women and children? Who will father our future generations? Where will humanity derive its strength, which is inherent in men.

The eroding impact of cultural Marxism has temporarily put good men on their heels. Masculinity is under attack. This is not the cry of a victim here. I am just noticing.

There is a concerted effort to emasculate men. To turn us into something that we aren’t.   Boys are being educated to sit down and shut up and are often shamed simply for being of “the aggressive gender”.

I had the experience recently of finishing up a 9-year stint on the Board of Directors for a NYC not-for-profit. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  However, as I was finishing up my tenure, our Board happened to schedule a day-long training in Critical Race Theory. I politely declined to participate.

According to Critical Race Theory, the fact that I declined to participate automatically makes me a racist. It doesn’t take much these days.

Yet, the truth is I didn’t want to waste 6 precious hours talking about how best to treat people, which I feel I do pretty well.  As a man, I’ve been trained to guard my boundaries well and I am just am not interested nor available to be shamed, confused, and isolated by trained cultural Marxists.  It seems that shaming, dividing, and confusing people is what they do best.

Political correctness has brought us a long ways from something so common sense as this: have respect and kindness for everyone you meet. This seems to me a much simpler approach to all the hand wringing, angst, and finger-pointing that we see today.

In these issues, I am really clear about a couple of things. One, I refuse to let others tell me what my experience is within the human tribe. I trust myself and I see us all as brothers and sisters on an epic Hero’s Journey. If that is not good enough for cultural Marxists and their followers, fuck ’em I say.

And I am also really clear that we will continue to need good men to help anchor strength in the human tribe. Men are needed now more than ever. If the men of our human tribe don’t claim and honor their inner strength, the part of them that is essentially masculine, then what do we do when the world once again needs the clarity and presence and strength of good men?

Let’s go talk to my guest today about some of these very issues.

 

Nicky Billou Bio-

Nicky Billou is the International Best Selling Author of the book: Finish Line Thinking: How to Think and Win Like a Champion.He is an in-demand and highly inspirational speaker and an advisor and confidante to some of the most successful and dynamic entrepreneurs in Canada. He is the co-founder of eCircle Academy (www.eCircleAcademy.com) where he runs a yearlong Mastermind & Educational program working with Coaches, Consultants, and Corporate Trainers.

Nicky is the host of the podcast The Thought Leader Revolution where he has interviewed over 200 of the world’s top thought leaders. Here is my interview with Nicky Billou.

E77 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our conversation with Nicky as much as I did. As we were finishing our call, Nicky wanted me to pass along an offer for you. Anyone who wants a free 45-minute coaching session with him, just go to www.eCircleAcademy.comand go book a success call. This is a really generous offer to all of you entrepreneurs out there to get some free insights from a man who knows how to guide thought leaders and others towards success.

Basecamp for Men E76: Building Bridges

E76 Firestarters for Men: Building Bridges

 

E76 Introduction-

Well today we come in with one of our short format Firestarters for Men. I am calling it Building Bridges. For what it’s worth, I am feeling incredibly optimistic right now. That may surprise some of you. It hit me this week. A feeling that we are right on the verge of something historic. A restoration of our Republic. A reclaiming of what is rightfully ours as WE THE PEOPLE.

I want to get a guest on to unpack The Act of 1871 and its implications. I mentioned this at the end of the last episode. It seems this knowledge is making its way to the center stage. Were any of you able to go do some research on this?

I am also starting to put together interviews that will serve us as a tribe NO MATTER what happens in the world. If the shit hits the fan, what are our resources as men? What can we count on? Where is our edge right now as men?

It seems we are being asked to transcend our boundaries. To integrate the polarities that have kept us divided. I hear it from both sides, right and left. I have been in both camps at different points in my life. Here is what you will hear: I can’t talk to them. THEY are brainwashed. THEY don’t listen. THEY are crazy. THEY are stupid. THEY are violent.If you move across the political spectrum in this country, it’s the one thing that both sides have in common. They view the other side as a bunch of brainwashed idiots.

I am not sure if way of thinking if going to get us there. Do you? If what we have been talking about here the past ten episodes or so is true, this polarity will need to be transcended. What work do you need to do?

Let’s not forget what we have learned about projecting our shadow. We have a strong, unconscious tendency to hide, repress, and deny all the traits that we don’t want to own in ourselves. We then project them onto the other person or other group. So, it is always them. THEY that are ignorant ones, never us. THEY are violent, not us. THEY are brainwashed and conditioned, never us. THEY are wrong about something never us. And finally, it is THEY who are arrogant and lack humility, not us.

Do you see how prevalent that is in our thinking? To remedy this, we can get out one of our most powerful tools in menswork and just own the projection.

I can be ignorant of many, many things. There is so much I DON’T know.

I can be violent and angry. Sometimes I want to burn this old, corrupt system to the ground.

I can be brainwashed and conditioned. My whole life I have processed information that wasn’t true. Even though it was packaged as such. So have you, my friend.

I can be wrong….about lots of things. Maybe I am even wrong about this.

And finally, I can be arrogant and lack humility. I can think I know more or am better because I do spiritual work or mens work or I’m smart and well-read and so on and so forth. I can lack humility. This is a shadow that many men have.

Can you find these in yourself? These qualities you project to the other side, whether that other side is on the left or on the right. This sort of owning your shadow is what helps build the bridge. Are you starting to see that?

We have forgotten that WE ARE We The People. There isn’t a political divide in WE THE PEOPLE. The divide is an artificial construct. An impediment or obstacle in our collective awakening .

Sure the MSM, which is controlled by the DS and CIA, stokes and fuels our division. This is by design. However it is up to us to see this and ultimately decide: does this division serve us? Will it take us to where we need to go?  Does it feel good to constantly put our friends and family members “over there” in the box we label as idiots or brainwashed or misinformed (even when you can easily make the case for this). Will standing above others ever awaken them?Or do we need to figure out more elegant ways to build the bridges for WE THE PEOPLE.

I have work to do finding the new language. I am betting that you do too. This is perhaps the most important work you and I will do together. Do you want to be part of reclaiming WE THE PEOPLE and look back on this time as the best thing that you ever saw happen in your lifetime? Then it’s time to lean into your work and your courage. We are counting on you my friend.

For me, another area I see that I can continue to develop is in my ability to hold space for people that don’t agree with my viewpoint. This seems really important right now I‘m really being challenged by that with this show. I want people to like me and respect me (although this desire has lessened as I have grown older).

My teacher Patrick mentioned this in the recent retreat I did with him. He reminded us to stand in the Truth, no matter what. Serve the Divine and serve the Truth. Then let the chips fall where they may. You might lose a few friends and family members as you continue on your Hero’s Journey. But that’s ok. Sometimes these people you think are gone circle back around further up the mountain.

I got a great email from a listener that I want to share with you. He was so respectful and expressed how much he has enjoyed Basecamp and called out some specific episodes that he has enjoyed. He then expressed that the recent episides on The Great Awakening and, specifically, the episodes where Q is referenced have been off-putting and out of alignment with him and his viewpoint.

I completely get this. I have an intuitive feeling that many of you may be sitting with the same unease or lack of resonance with these recent episodes. My question to you is: did you get anything from the episodes, even if you didn’t agree with some of the content?

Here is the email I sent back to him. I hope it makes sense to you. I won’t use his name, of course.

Thank you for your honest response and thank you for listening to Basecamp. I think I understand where you are coming from.

That being said, I wanted to clear something up as best I can. The Great Awakening is not centered on nor dependent on Q for its momentum. It is a collective awakening to both the Light and the Dark. Q is simply a tool to help awaken many to the shadow. That’s it really.

Is Q a military intelligence operation? Yes it is. Are they preparing to make arrests? Yes they are. Is it going to shock the public? Yes it will.

However, beyond that, you don’t ever have to go there (nor does anyone else). There are a lot of ways up the mountain (many versions of the Hero’s Journey) and there seems to be a collective quickening happening right now. It’s palpable in the air, isn’t it?

I’ve done 75 shows now and only 5 or so mention anything related to the Q phenomenon. I will continue to serve men and serve Truth and our collective awakening. 

Thank you for giving Basecamp a listen and I wish you well.

With respect,

Tony

It seems we are being asked to forge new tools for the next chapters of our Hero’s Journey. What has brought us this far may be inadequate for the next challenges. How do you do your part to build bridges? What part of you is beckoning for expression? What part of you that has been dormant is now being asked to come forth? Your voice? Your heart? Your truth?

To steal a few lines from Andy Dufrane in The Shawshank Redemption, one of my favorite films of all-time. If you’ve come this far, perhaps you’re willing to come a bit further. I hope this episode finds you and finds you well.

Your friend,

Tony

 

Basecamp for Men E75: The Masculine/Feminine Dynamic

E75: The Masculine/Feminine Dynamic with Special Guest

Lisa Rezac

 

E75 Introduction-

Well my dear listeners, this show has continued to evolve as you and I evolve. What started out as a show about men’s personal development and the evolution of consciousness has moved more fully into an investigation into the Great Awakening and how to better prepare for the upcoming chapters of our collective Hero’s Journey.

We will continue to offer episodes that address the issues that men currently face in their personal lives AS WELL as offer interesting alternative viewpoints on what is happening in our country that may help you find alignment with your own truth. We’ll continue to seek balance on these issues.

The compass will continue to be truth, even when it is uncomfortable. We have trained ourselves through men’s work and these conversations to align ourselves with the human spirit. With what we ALL have in common. This will continue to guide us.

In terms of issues on the national stage, I will continue to reference and speak as part of WE THE PEOPLE as this is in alignment with my own mission. Right now, there is a group that is relieved that Joe Biden is President. And that is fine. They feel that they can breathe now. There is another group that is sure that the military is fully in control and does not recognize Biden as a legitimate Commander in Chief. And there is a third group that isn’t sure what to think.

What is unfolding goes WAY beyond Democrat v Republican. Can you sense this? Your political orientation is about to become completely irrelevant. And this may well be a Godsend for our nation.

My guest today is my wife Lisa who is coming off a 3-day meditation retreat with our teacher Patrick Conner. I was on retreat as well. I thought it would be a good chance to check in on the value of your spiritual practice, being in partnership with your spouse or life partner, and taking a look at the masculine/feminine dynamic and what we might learn from it.

Lisa Rezac Bio-

My guest today is an exceptional woman known for her beauty, intuition, humor, and courage. Lisa Rezac has been an classically trained actor, corporate trainer, entrepreneur, mother, and a fundraising auctioneer. She is a creative thinker and a person who models living your deepest truths. She has also been my life-partner for the past 26 years.

E75 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our conversation with the always interesting Lisa Rezac.

For information about retreats with Patrick Conner, go to www.sharmada.org

Lastly, people are talking a lot about the Act of 1871, where a CORPORATION of the U.S. was created and how Trump and the military, in essence, are in the process of restoring the original Republic and give the power back to WE THE PEOPLE.

This Act of 1871 might be an interesting red pill for some of you attorneys out there. You can compare and contrast our Original Constitution for WE THE PEOPLE with the alterations made in 1871 and the creation of the CORPORATION of the U.S. I will be doing some research into this to see what the hubbub is all about. Let’s see what we all find out, shall we?